Photo: Getty Images
A new bill proposed in Tennessee aimed at establishing a new marriage option in the state would also eliminate age requirements for marriage.
H.B. 233 aims to establish a common-law marriage between "one man" and "one woman," WKRN reports. Rep. Tom Leatherwood (R-Arlington) sponsored the bill, which he said gives Tennesseans a new option for marriage.
"So, all this bill does is give an alternative form of marriage for those pastors and other individuals who have a conscientious objection to the current pathway to marriage in our law," he said, acknowledging that "there is not an explicit age limit" in the bill as it was proposed.
Under current Tennessee law, the youngest age at which a person could get married is 17 with parental consent.
Opponents of the bill, including Rep. Mike Stewart (D-Nashville), believe the legislation could lead to child marriages and instances of child sex abuse being covered up, calling it a "get out of jail free card."
"I don't think any normal person thinks we shouldn't have an age requirement for marriage," Stewart said, adding, "It should not be there as it's basically a get out of jail free card for people who are basically committing statutory rape — I mean it's completely ridiculous, so that's another reason why this terrible bill should be eliminated."
The Sexual Assault Center of Middle Tennessee sent the following statement to WKRN in response to the bill.
"The Sexual Assault Center does not believe the age of consent for marriage should be any younger than it already is. It makes children more vulnerable to coercion and manipulation from predators, sexual and other."